When hiking in Britain's hilly regions you are advised to
dress appropriately and always include in your pack, waterproofs and spare dry,
warm clothes. Seemingly obvious but the
person who may have saved your life is an unsung hero from the conquest of Everest
- scientist Dr Griffith Pugh - the
mountaineer who made it possible.
Until Everest was finally climbed, attempts had ended in
tragic failure. There seemed to be an
impassable ceiling a thousand feet below it's 29,000' summit. The Royal Geographical Society decided the
1953 expedition take a scientist, physiologist, Dr Griffith Pugh. He had studied survival in inhospitable
conditions, mostly by experiments on himself and field research. Studying
endurance in freezing water he could be found at his lab in a bath of ice water
recording body heat loss as he slipped into unconsciousness! In the extremes of cold, exhaustion and
altitude of the Himalayas he found ways to technically and physically prepare
the expedition. As a result, he designed
new oxygen equipment, boots, clothing, down jackets, tents, cooking equipment
and he insisted the team follow his strict instructions on diet, hydration,
oxygen intake and hygiene for the 1953 assault.
His demands did not endear him to the expedition but not a single member
suffered injury or ill health following their immense achievement.
Before the 1970s, hikers would regularly die in bad
weather from 'exposure' in hilly regions. After a particular disaster during
the 1964 Derbyshire Four Inns Challenge, where a group of exhausted young
people had perished in wet and windy conditions, Griffith Pugh was invited to
join the investigation. From having the deceased hikers kit worn and hiked in,
he proved accidental hypothermia from their soaking clothes, an unexpected
result. His comprehensive report to the Medical Commission contains our modern
day advice to hikers.
Nowadays how to prepare for hiking and mountaineering is
well documented but the science of Dr. Griffith Pugh, unsung hero of Mount
Everest, is behind it.
You can see some more of his amazing life as a scientist
from a Royal Society lecture given by his daughter Harriet Tuckey who uncovered
and published untold his story almost lost to the history of science. See
below.
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